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The digital guest journey is becoming essential in the hotel industry

THE DIGITAL GUEST JOURNEY IS BECOMING ESSENTIAL IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY

SEE HOW DIGITAL CAN HELP YOU IN YOUR HOTEL
AT EVERY STAGE OF YOUR GUESTS’ STAY

As a hotelier, you want to offer your guests a safe and memorable stay. With COVID-19, this is an even more difficult challenge and you must double your efforts to ensure your guests with an impeccable sanitary environment.

SHOPPING & BOOKING

Your guest has shopped for his stay on the Internet and has chosen your property. If he did not know your hotel, he probably consulted review sites such as TripAdvisor before booking. Your hotel must be present on social networks and review sites. To manage these numerous forums, you should have a good tool for hotel Reputation Management.

To get the best price, he probably browsed on different online booking sites including your own website. Offer online booking with an easy to use Booking Engine and a Channel Manager to reach your customers through all distribution channels where your hotel will appear. To entice guests to book directly, include benefits such as a choice of free goodies: breakfast included, airport transfer, hotel beauty kit, etc. The savings you will make on the commission payable to OTAs will give you the means to “pamper your guest”.

To build customer loyalty, you will need a CRM adapted to hospitality and well-integrated into your PMS. It should enable you to keep in touch with your customers, get to know them better and present them with targeted offers according to their profile. A loyalty program could also increase the repeated stays of your customers.

ONLINE PRE-CHECK-IN

Like airlines, your hotel may offer online pre-registration. Your guest will provide all the required information and digitally sign the check-in form before arrival.

This approach will give you the opportunity to offer them additional “Upsell” purchase options: a more luxurious room, breakfast, massage, etc. If you know your client well, you will be able to present them with targeted offers that are much more likely to be accepted: a round of golf, champagne, etc. Mobile Guest Applications allow you to offer these “contactless” features to your guests while reducing the manpower needed at your front desk.

AT CHECK-IN

The guest having already completed his check-in form, all that remains to be done is to assign him his room and give him his key. Here again, technology can help.

On the day of his arrival (or even 24 or 48 hours before), still on his Client Application, he could choose his specific room himself, similar to the choice of a seat on the plane, according to his taste: top floor, far from the elevator, view of the golf course, etc. This “paid” feature will ensure your guests’ satisfaction while generating a new revenue stream for you.

The remaining thing to do is to obtain his room key and this can be done in many ways, depending on the lock system used. Still on his Client Application, he could receive a Mobile Key, avoiding him to touch key cards thus reducing the possibility of virus transmission while saving costs on plastic keys.

DURING STAY

With his Guest Application, he could make all his requests and transactions by only touching his own mobile phone. In addition, he could access all the hotel’s information, eliminating the need for a large hotel information book, make requests for room service, find out about activities inside and outside the hotel, book a restaurant, text his requests to the concierge or reserve a taxi or any other service that could be integrated into the application. In addition to eliminating all physical contact, this opens the possibility of generating another source of revenue for your hotel.

AT CHECK-OUT

Still with his Guest Application, he will be able to request a “Late Check-Out”, review his invoice and pay with his credit card. He could also ask the concierge for assistance with his luggage at a specific time, order a taxi or even a lunch box to his liking for his return flight, all adapted to the services offered at your hotel.

AFTER DEPARTURE

After leaving your hotel, you will be able to ask your guests for an overall evaluation of their stay either internally or on sites such as TripAdvisor. This will be an opportunity to keep in touch by offering them loyalty points, personalized offers, or a small gift of appreciation.

As you can see, digital technology can be used to offer your clients an exceptional digital experience!

CONTACT US

Since 2017, we have been carrying out rigorous analysis and evaluations of the best hotel digital solutions in Europe and America. We are ready to assist you in the choice and implementation of the best digital solutions for your hotel.

Our proven methodology guarantees an optimal result and our services qualify for the Government of Quebec’s EDNET program.

Visit our website and contact us!

Succeeding in your digital transformation in the hotel industry (Part 2)

SUCCESSING IN YOUR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY (Part 2)

GO DIGITAL WITH CONFIDENCE BY FOLLOWING THESE TIPS!

This article presents the continuation of our 10 tips for hoteliers to help them in their digital transformation.

TIP #6 – MAKE SURE YOUR SOLUTIONS ARE WELL INTEGRATED

One of the major problems mentioned by hoteliers is the lack of integration of their different software. A digital transformation project will have to consider this issue as a priority. Indeed, the new open digital solutions are likely to disrupt the current architecture of your systems. Don’t be afraid to address this aspect and go gradually!

Your new solutions will have to be integrated into your current architecture or it will have to be modified. Ultimately, you will need to ensure that your different systems are well integrated and that you have the least amount of duplication of information or that your customers and employees do not have to make multiple entries of the same information. If the new software is not fully integrated, make sure that it has an open API and that it can be integrated within a reasonable timeframe.

One of the main difficulties encountered by hoteliers is the lack of integration of their systems.

TIP #7 – TAKE REFERENCES FROM USERS

Before acquiring a new software, consult those who use it through forums or specialized companies such as HotelTechReport to find out what they think of the solution you are contemplating.

We also advise you to contact users with a similar profile to yours and discuss with them. Talk to as many people as possible to get their feedback. The honeymoon phenomenon is present in all areas and you will see how this vendor treats its customers over time and in specific situations. You will find that this is very revealing!

A problem often mentioned by hoteliers is

the poor quality of service provided by their vendors.

TIP #8 – INSIST FOR A GUARANTEED SERVICE LEVEL

Another major problem mentioned by hoteliers is the poor support service they receive. This is usually due to poor software design that has not survived many changes over the years. It can also be due to poor vendor practices with respect to testing and quality assurance steps. It may also be due to a lack of personnel.

In your dealings with references, check how the vendor has responded to major breakdowns and when asked to add a feature to their solution. Feedback from users will be revealing!

Discuss this with your potential vendor and require that a defined level of service be added to the contract. This will protect you in the event of a problem!

TIP #9 – EXPLORE ALL AVAILABLE FINANCIAL AIDS

To carry out your digital transformation project, you may be eligible to receive government financial assistance. For example, the Government of Quebec’s EDNET program administered by the Association Touristique Régionale (ATR) of your region offers non-refundable financial assistance. This assistance covers 50% of the costs of qualifying projects, up to $10,000 for the digital plan and up to $30,000 for implementation. Ask your hotel and tourism associations for more information.

Also, with COVID-19, the governments of Quebec and Canada quickly set up additional financial assistance. For example, the Government of Quebec has announced the PACME program for job maintenance, which reimburses 100% of costs related to digital skills training, among other things. This would allow you, for example, to train your entire staff on a new digital tool.

Finally, another interesting program is the Industry Audit 4.0 program administered by the Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation (MEI). This program offers you financial assistance to help your company carry out an audit and a digital 4.0 plan. The financial assistance granted to the company takes the form of a non-refundable contribution equivalent to 80% of eligible costs up to a maximum of $20,000. Find out more about these programs!

TIP #10 – CALL IN AN EXPERT TO ASSIST YOU

If your team does not include information technology professionals, it would be advisable to call upon an expert to assist you in your project. This will allow you to remain focused on your mission as a hotelier and you will be able to benefit from the professional experience of experts in their fields. Get information from different firms and choose those that are familiar with hospitality.

SucceedIing in your digital transformation in the hotel industry (Part 1)

SUCCEEDING IN YOUR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY (Part 1)

ENSURE YOUR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION SUCCESS BY FOLLOWING THESE 10 TIPS!

In recent years, there has been much talk about digital transformation in all industries. With the arrival of COVID-19, digital technology is now ubiquitous and many solutions, formerly less known, are today at the center of everyday life.

In the hospitality industry, emphasis has been placed on digital marketing, websites, direct bookings and electronic distribution. However, if we want to leverage the full power of digital technology, we must consider all digital solutions required for hotel operations.  In a typical hotel, one can find nearly forty different systems that support daily operations and each of them is important to ensure your success!

Before restarting your operations after the forced shutdown by COVID-19, it would be advisable to do a review of all digital solutions in use and consider changing them if required to adapt to the new reality that will surely be more demanding for all sectors of your organization. Here are some tips to approach this initiative with confidence!

TIP # 1 – CONSIDER ALL SECTORS OF YOUR OPERATIONS

Managing an hotel property takes several digital skills and tools that are in use by your customers and employees. When we analyze an hotel operation, what strikes us is the complexity of the operations and the large number of functional areas and skills required to achieve optimal operational efficiency.

When you do this exercice, consider all sectors and systems required for your operations:

TIP # 2 – EVALUATE OBJECTIVELY YOUR CURRENT SOLUTIONS

As you analyze each system, ask yourself if it meets your requirements, needs to be modified or simply replaced. Your team members who use these systems on a daily basis are the best individuals to do this evaluation.

Having the results of this analysis in hand, establish priorities: Very important, Moderately important and Not very important, depending on the impact that each of these systems has on your operations. Focus first on the Very Important!

TIP # 3 – DEFINE THE DIGITAL EXPERIENCE YOU WANT TO OFFER TO YOUR GUESTS AND EMPLOYEES

Analyze the current guest and employees journeys and identify where you want to improve their digital experience. For example, a few days before arriving at the hotel, I want my customers to be able to pre check-in online with their PC or mobile device.

Make sure that your current digital solutions can provide this experience or identify other solutions. Don’t overlook the digital experience of your valued employees. Provide them with the best tools and this will improve their job satisfaction, productivity and loyalty.

Digital solutions are essential for all hoteliers because your guests and employees are more and more younger and they favor efficient and easy-to-use digital solutions.

TIP # 4 – PRIORIZE THE CHOICE OF OPEN DIGITAL SOLUTIONS

Traditionally, hotel software providers have attempted to meet all the needs of hoteliers with a single software, the PMS (Property Management System), which included several options or modules. In recent years, startups and new suppliers have developed open solutions that can be easily connected to each other using standard interfaces, the APIs (Application Program Interfaces). The rapid growth of software in the Cloud has accelerated the development and deployment of these new solutions which are gradually replacing traditional ones.

In your choices, make sure that the digital cloud solutions you select offer open APIs, allowing easy and inexpensive interconnections with others.

It’s only a matter of time before all digital solutions are only offered in cloud computing.

TIP # 5 – DOCUMENT YOUR ESSENTIAL NEEDS

When choosing new solutions, make sure that they really meet your needs. Don’t be distracted by devices or gadgets. Carefully prepare a requirements document describing your imperative needs. For the vendors you are considering, prepare a data set corresponding to your own situation and ask them to demonstrate that their solution adequately process this data (e.g. pricing models, room categories, interface to your POS stations, etc.).

Be flexible about how the new solution works, but don’t compromise on the essential functions required for your operations. If necessary, require execution of a proof of concept to ensure that all your needs are covered, before committing to a contract. This will ensure the success of the implementation and a higher level of buy-in from your employees and guests.

The rest of this article is presented in part 2, click Next.